The Surfing Butterfly, a personal blog of a very ordinary foreigner fulfilling her bond obligations in sunny Singapore, while pursuing an idealistic path towards helping people and companies reach their fullest potential. Or at the very least, make the world a little happier to live in.

I listen to the radio a lot. It’s my way of discovering new songs. I jump from station to station, from news (BBC) to classical to easy listening and pop. I need to write this: A brief review on selected English pop and adult contemporary radio stations in Singapore and Malaysia. In the past few … Continue reading →

Though my company’s pantry is very paltry, occasionally when my colleagues travel overseas to meet clients, they bring back local desserts. One of my favourites is the Bika Ambon, or the Indonesian Yeast Cake. From Wikipedia: Made from ingredients such as tapioca and sago flour, eggs, sugar and coconut milk, Bika Ambon generally sold in … Continue reading →

Beasts of the Southern Wild is not my type of film – a group of abandoned people in an apocalyptic world with some bits of fantasy. I watched it with a heavy heart, expecting nothing. But, I was surprised to find this film powerful and poignant. All the actors did a great job bringing out … Continue reading →

Having talked to my Singaporean employer this morning gave me fresh insights about this issue. And, I did more background research on the global poll. The survey, conducted by Gallup, asked six simple questions to about 1,000 adults in each country each year between 2009 to 2011. Did you feel well-rested yesterday? Were you treated … Continue reading →

A recent global poll said Singapore is the least emotional country while Philippines, the most emotional country. When asked by BBC’s Dan Damon yesterday on the reasons, Christine Lim, distinguished Singaporean author, without any reserve at all, said the poll measures public emotions where Singaporeans do badly in because they are reserve.She claims that it … Continue reading →

“If I ain’t learning, it ain’t fun” – A good philosophy to end the day with. Related articles Why blog? John Seely Brown offers his reasons – what are yours? (mymindbursts.com) What makes an e-learning forum tick? (mymindbursts.com) The Guild Counsel: Can guilds save the economy? (massively.joystiq.com) Continue reading →

Another reason to protect the Malaysian rainforests: We are home to the only known blood-sucking moth of the Lepidoptera order, the Calpe eustrigata. It was first found in Malaya (now known as Peninsular Malaysia) by Hans Bänziger in 1968. There were further studies on them in 1970, 1975 and 1979. But, major research on it … Continue reading →

Bhutan, the country with a unique philosophy of measuring “Gross National Happiness” instead of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has a new goal: To be the first 100% organic nation. Interesting that for a country without wealth and modern education, they are extremely forward-thinking. More on Bhutan’s pledge to be an organic nation here: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=40,11126,0,0,1,0 Related … Continue reading →

While designing a portfolio for my company this afternoon, I watched The Corrs in their Dublin concert through YouTube. I am a fan of Celtic or Celtic-inspired music. Attending the Riverdance performance in Stockholm still ranks as one of the best decisions I have ever made. It’ll be an injustice to merely say … Continue reading →